Today is the final day of Cheshvan. As we have learned, this month is representative of darkness and gloominess. Tomorrow begins a new month called Kislev, which is the month that Hanukkah, the Festival of Light, is celebrated. So, as we transition from a month of darkness to a month of light, let us take […]
If you keep up the news, you have probably discovered that the more news you absorb, the more distressed you become. Some people can’t watch news programs without becoming agitated, aggravated, angry, or even depressed. It would probably do us good to wean ourselves off all the bad news; maybe we should quit listening to […]
Friday November 30th: 22 Kislev It was on this day in 1949 that the Israeli Knesset (Parliament), voted to transfer Israel’s seat of government from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This was logical seeing that Jerusalem had always been the eternal capital of the Israeli people. However, there have been very few nations who acknowledge Jerusalem […]
Thursday November 29th: 21 Kislev There’s an old Jewish adage that says something like this: “The truly penitent come nearer unto God than even those who have never stumbled or fallen into sin.” That’s a profound statement when you consider what it’s saying. And while it’s true that we don’t find this particular wording in […]
Dotting the mountainsides of northern Israel are various castles, fortresses and other strongholds. Once such stronghold is called Nimrod’s Castle. Actually, it has nothing to do with Nimrod but is a sprawling Crusader fortress, a stronghold, that sits atop a mountain in the upper Galilee. Another fortress, or at least the ruins of a fortress […]
According to some traditions, it was on this day that Noah and his family departed from the ark, just a little over a year after entering into the ark. Scripture records this in Genesis 8:18, 20-21: “So, Noah went forth, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. Then Noah built an […]
We recall, today, that the month of Cheshvan is considered to be a time of darkness and gloominess. We also recall that, according to Isaiah, the Galilee was a place of spiritual darkness that was shone a great light as Christ ministered in that area. “Now when Jesus heard that John had been cast into […]
It was on this day in the year 109 B.C. that King John Hyrcanus destroyed the city of Samaria, the capital of the Samaritans. Eventually, this day became a national holiday in Judea. However, the ancient sect of Samaritans has survived to this very day. For centuries, they were considered as an internal threat to […]
When traveling in the Middle East, certain things become very clear very quickly. One of those things is the value of water. It’s badly needed. It’s scarce and, consequently, a very valuable commodity. The value of water is accentuated by the fact that, in Israel, water was needed for a person immerse himself in a mikveh(ceremonial […]
According to tradition, it was on this day in 164 B. C., that the stones of the sacred altar were defiled by the Greeks and removed from the Temple. When it comes to God’s house, anything that has been deemed holy is not to be contaminated with those things that are considered to be common […]
It was on this day in 1917 that the British Army captured Gaza from the Turkish Empire as they advanced toward Jerusalem and beyond. The area that we now know as Israel is part of a region called the Levant, which stretches from the fertile regions of Mesopotamia, through Syria and Israel and down to the […]
As God’s people, we are called to be holy which is also understood to be “set apart,” or in Hebrew, kadosh, holy. “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). You “shall be holy” seems to indicate that there is a process involved. When we are born again, we are […]
